Railways' 2030 net zero plan builds on renewable, nuclear and thermal power

New Delhi: The Indian Railways will opt for a mix of nuclear, solar, hydropower, wind and thermal generation sources under its net zero 2030 strategy, said officials. This will help meet the 10-gigawatt (GW) traction (energy used for running trains) requirement of the national transporter by the end of the decade, they said.

The railways plans to buy 3 GW of renewable energy (including hydropower) and another 3 GW of thermal and nuclear power in 2030. The remaining 4 GW needed for traction will be sourced through tie-ups with power distribution companies.

"Requests to earmark around 2 GW of nuclear power for Railways have been made to the power ministry. Another 2 GW thermal power will be sourced from new joint venture proposals and power purchase agreements," a senior official told ET on condition of anonymity, adding that tie-ups for 500 megawatt round-the-clock renewable energy are also in the works.


Besides, 1.5 GW of hydropower projects are in the planning stage which may supply power to the railways.

The Indian Railways is on course to achieving 100% electrification on broad gauge routes in this financial year, according to officials.

"With nearly 95% trains running on electricity from 2025-26 onwards, the direct carbon emissions of the railways will come down to 1.37 million tonnes per year and will remain the same till 2030," the official said, adding that these can be comfortably offset through measures like afforestation.

It is estimated that 90% of trains running on the Indian Railways are now powered by electricity while the remaining 10% run on diesel, a significant improvement from 37% diesel-powered trains three years ago.

"Steps will also be taken to incorporate carbon negative practices through energy efficiency at railway production units and green railway stations," the official said.

Besides the environmental advantage, the switch to electric comes with a cost saving for the Indian Railways. Revenue expenditure under diesel for traction is expected to fall to ₹9,528.53 crore in 2025-26, the lowest projected spending on diesel by the railways in more than a decade.